Name: Andrew Johnson Political Party: National Union party by presidency, Democrat by tendencies Terms: 1 term (1865-1869) Vice President: None
Presidential Evaluation
Johnson was a man caught in a pickle. He started with a disbanded union, a dead president (one of the greats), and high expectations to live up to. His democratic tendencies got him little support from Congress as well. The only real factor set of by himself was his disregard for the American public. With all of this considered, Andrew Johnson deserves a C- for his bad presidency, which would normally receive a lower rating, but he had many odds against him from the start.
Johnson's main goal was reconstruction of the South after the Civil War finally ended at the end of Lincoln's presidency. As a supporter of the South, he also wanted to limit the rights of newly freed slaves, and almost successfully did just that, had the Congress not outsmarted him. Slowly but surely, however, Johnson did lead the country to Reconstruction, although it was no feat of his own. Had it been up to him, the 13th and 14th amendments would not have been passed, but they were required for the succeeded states to rejoin the union, so the states felt it in their best interest to ratify them. Besides those few goals, Johnson landed the presidency very unexpectedly, and didn't have many truly set goals.
Johnson had a terrible relationship with Congress. Although the Congress was very pro-Lincoln, Johnson's democratic tendencies led to his own ruling party abandoning him, and disagreeing with him. Then in 1866, the Radical Republicans, who always vehemently opposed Johnson, took control of Congress and all went downhill as far as their relationship went. Johnson always opposed the rights of the freed slaves, and this was way off the public, and Congress's opinion. This was his major flaw, trying to force his pro-Southern views on the public. The South didn't have the representation to support him, either. To show how Congress hated Johnson, they used the first Congressional override of the Presidential Veto. They continued to use that on 15 of his 29 vetoes. Of these vetoes, Johnson vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau, which helped blacks become educated, and the Civil Rights Act, which was going to give blacks Civil Rights. This, however, was outsmarted when Congress passed the 14th amendment by making it a necessity before being readmitted into the union. This showed his anti-black ideals.
Finding Johnson's most positive action is like finding a needle in a haystack. The best decisions in his term of office would be the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, which secured many rights for blacks. These were some of the most important decisions in US history, although, they cannot be attributed to his administration, since he was an avid opposer of them. Luckily they were passed regardless. The best decision that can be directly attributed to the Johnson administration would be the purchase of Alaska. This land later gave us much oil and other natural resources. This also kept us on good terms with the Russians, who gave us such a good deal on the huge tract of land. It may have been considered a terrible decision in Johnson's days, but it became a great decision, and was one of the last expansions of the United States.
The worst decision from the Johnson administration would probably be his generally Pro-South attitude and massive number of vetoes. He made reconstruction a painstaking process for those in Congress, but he was finally able to start the Reconstruction, a difficult task in itself. Johnson's attitudes did NOT help draw the nation back together, which is what was needed in a leader at the time. He vetoed 29 bills, which was his largest problem. He never changed his views, even when opposed by the public and other politicians. This was truly the reason for his impeachment, although not directly.
Johnson was a good man, but was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He truly wasn't a bad president, however his views contradicted those of the time, and he was provided with a difficult task from the beginning. Most of his problems were caused because of this troublesome task, which is why he deserves a C-, and not lower. He had great intentions, but it just wasn't right for him. Regardless of how bad he may have been, at least Buchanan was worse!
Works Cited "Andrew Johnson." Miller Center of Public Affairs. University of Virginia. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://millercenter.org/>.
"Andrew Johnson, 17th President." The White House. Www.whitehouse.gov. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/>.
"Andrew Johnson." Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Inc. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.
Ari. "Great Moments in White Victimization: Johnson Vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866." The Edge of the American West. WordPress, 27 Mar. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://wordpress.com/>. "Reconstruction era of the United States." Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Inc. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.
Name: Andrew Johnson
Political Party: National Union party by presidency, Democrat by tendencies
Terms: 1 term (1865-1869)
Vice President: None
Presidential Evaluation
Johnson was a man caught in a pickle. He started with a disbanded union, a dead president (one of the greats), and high expectations to live up to. His democratic tendencies got him little support from Congress as well. The only real factor set of by himself was his disregard for the American public. With all of this considered, Andrew Johnson deserves a C- for his bad presidency, which would normally receive a lower rating, but he had many odds against him from the start.
Johnson's main goal was reconstruction of the South after the Civil War finally ended at the end of Lincoln's presidency. As a supporter of the South, he also wanted to limit the rights of newly freed slaves, and almost successfully did just that, had the Congress not outsmarted him. Slowly but surely, however, Johnson did lead the country to Reconstruction, although it was no feat of his own. Had it been up to him, the 13th and 14th amendments would not have been passed, but they were required for the succeeded states to rejoin the union, so the states felt it in their best interest to ratify them. Besides those few goals, Johnson landed the presidency very unexpectedly, and didn't have many truly set goals.
Johnson had a terrible relationship with Congress. Although the Congress was very pro-Lincoln, Johnson's democratic tendencies led to his own ruling party abandoning him, and disagreeing with him. Then in 1866, the Radical Republicans, who always vehemently opposed Johnson, took control of Congress and all went downhill as far as their relationship went. Johnson always opposed the rights of the freed slaves, and this was way off the public, and Congress's opinion. This was his major flaw, trying to force his pro-Southern views on the public. The South didn't have the representation to support him, either. To show how Congress hated Johnson, they used the first Congressional override of the Presidential Veto. They continued to use that on 15 of his 29 vetoes. Of these vetoes, Johnson vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau, which helped blacks become educated, and the Civil Rights Act, which was going to give blacks Civil Rights. This, however, was outsmarted when Congress passed the 14th amendment by making it a necessity before being readmitted into the union. This showed his anti-black ideals.
Finding Johnson's most positive action is like finding a needle in a haystack. The best decisions in his term of office would be the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, which secured many rights for blacks. These were some of the most important decisions in US history, although, they cannot be attributed to his administration, since he was an avid opposer of them. Luckily they were passed regardless. The best decision that can be directly attributed to the Johnson administration would be the purchase of Alaska. This land later gave us much oil and other natural resources. This also kept us on good terms with the Russians, who gave us such a good deal on the huge tract of land. It may have been considered a terrible decision in Johnson's days, but it became a great decision, and was one of the last expansions of the United States.
The worst decision from the Johnson administration would probably be his generally Pro-South attitude and massive number of vetoes. He made reconstruction a painstaking process for those in Congress, but he was finally able to start the Reconstruction, a difficult task in itself. Johnson's attitudes did NOT help draw the nation back together, which is what was needed in a leader at the time. He vetoed 29 bills, which was his largest problem. He never changed his views, even when opposed by the public and other politicians. This was truly the reason for his impeachment, although not directly.
Johnson was a good man, but was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He truly wasn't a bad president, however his views contradicted those of the time, and he was provided with a difficult task from the beginning. Most of his problems were caused because of this troublesome task, which is why he deserves a C-, and not lower. He had great intentions, but it just wasn't right for him. Regardless of how bad he may have been, at least Buchanan was worse!
Works Cited
"Andrew Johnson." Miller Center of Public Affairs. University of Virginia. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://millercenter.org/>.
"Andrew Johnson, 17th President." The White House. Www.whitehouse.gov. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/>.
"Andrew Johnson." Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Inc. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.
Ari. "Great Moments in White Victimization: Johnson Vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866." The Edge of the American West. WordPress, 27 Mar. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://wordpress.com/>.
"Reconstruction era of the United States." Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Inc. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.